The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-21
Sir william Armstrong on Swift
Cruisers.

On Saturday afternoon april 81, in
the presence of more than 100000
spectators, the monster armor-clad
war vessel Victoria, the heaviest ever
successfully floated, was launched from
the Elswick shipyard OF Sir w. G.
Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. Limited
The following are the dimensions OF
the vessel: Length $40 feet, breadth
70 feet 9 inches, mean draft 26 feet,
0 inches, displacement in tons TO-
500, horsepower 1000. She is pro-
tected by armor 10 inches thick, and
will be armed with two 110-ton guns.
The Victoria also possesses a power
full torpedo attack. She glided into
the water gracefully, after having been
christened by Mrs. Forwood, wife OF
the secretary to the Admiralty, Mr..
Forwood, M. p. Lord Charles Beres-
ford was present, and also Mr.. w. X.
White. Chief Constructor OF the Navy.
Sir William Armstrong first pro-
osed the toast o. The Queen" and
it was heartily responded to Sir
William next proposed the toast OF
the day, Success to the Victoria"
lie said that she was not only the
first armor-clad the company had ever
built, but was the heaviest ship that
had ever been successfully launched in
this country. The Admiralty seemed
disposed to slacken their expenditure
upon these gigantic vessels, and TO
expand their operations in the building
OF swift cruisers. and he had always
said that what England wanted above
all things was u numerous fleet hear,
hear) OF swift cruisers, not extempor-
lied out OF passenger boats or mer-
chant ships, but built and especially
adapted for the purpose for which they
were intended-for the protection OF
our widespread commerce, and for
aiding in the defence OF our colonies.
Now, for the purpose OF comparison
between the ships OF the present day
and the ships OF the past, he could
take no more fitting example than the
Victory of the old time and the Vic
toria OF to-day. Nelson's ship, the
Victoria, was one OF the largest OF her
time, and yet her displacement, with
everything on board, was only $500
tons. That OF the Victoria OF to-day
was 10000 tons. The Victory, in
accordance with the usage OF her time.
was built of oak. The Victoria, in
ccordance with the usage OF our time,
was built OF iron. The Victory, OF
course, depended entirely upon the
wind, while the Victoria was Deepen
dent upon steam. The speed OF the
Victory under the most propitious
conditions was barely ID knots an
hour; while the Victoria, propelled by
her engines of 10000 horse power,
would probably reach a speed OF II
knots per hour. The heaviest gun on
board the Victory was under three
tons, while the largest gun on board
this vessel would be ITO tons. The
largest and heaviest shot used on
board the Victory at Trafalgar was
90 pounds; the largest and heaviest
on board the Victoria would be l 800
pounds. The weight OF metal de-
livered from the Victory's broadside
was only l, $50 pounds, while that de-
livered from the broadside OF the
Victoria would be AGO pounds. In
point oil rage, artillery penetration,
shell power and so forth, the diff
ference was so enormous that a COM
parison could not be drawn. The
armament OF the Victoria would be
two guns OF ITO tons firing ahead and
on either side, one gun oil 20 tons
firing astem and on either side, ~
guns of 5 tons each in an armored
battery, 1875 pound quick-friDe guns.
besides machine guns Tor smaller
~ lmunition; and in addition to her
d .ilery she had a powerful ram and
I 1T torpedo discharges, four above
w...er and four below. In the days
OF the Victory a little ram was the
practice and torpedoes were wholly
unknown. Therefore. they could
have no comparison in that respect.
Another point on which the Victoria
compared most favorably with the
Victory was in the smallness OF the
number OF men the Victoria would
needto handle her. The complement
of the Victoria was $50 officers and
men. The Victoria was three times
as big, and the number OF men re-
quired was only $50, and OF that num-
Der ITO were engineers and stokers.
1t was then impossible to work the
armament of the big guns now in use.
Hydraulic power was now used.
O.. NE,li;o,,, ,.rnoaaIod 20 orotra TINT